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"The camera is arguably one of the most important of all inventions… it is the single tool that has the ability to stop time, record history, generate art, tell stories, and communicate messages that transcend language like nothing else ever conceived."

"Everything in life changes... including our camera specs and delivery dates..."

I am excited to be announcing one of a series of big reveals for the upcoming Reduser NAB 2012 Party in Las Vegas. This announcement is important to get going now because it requires the help of you! We are proud to announce the first Reduser 4K Portrait Competition, an opportunity in which Redusers can create content and not only compete for exhibition space and prizes at the Reduser Party, but be displayed for all to see on the most advanced 4K technologies ever invented. Working alongside Adobe on this project, the basic rules and details can be found below and we will be available to answer questions on and off post if you have any.

My first physical RED camera shoot was 5 years ago this month. Yet it took nearly all of that time for the world to catch up to what RED has been doing since its inception. As many have felt and stated, the world of 4K is upon us and it's time to show off Reduser community footage using the best display technology possible. This competition will be the first of its kind in which users come together to create a living art gallery filled with megapixels and movement. The venue will be an unprecedented new opportunity for a thousand people to witness the carving of a new creative capstone. Even beyond that, it will be an amazing opportunity (a first for most) in which entrants will face the challenges of end-to-end 4K content creation and successfully deliver their own 4K for the big screen. Light Iron and RED are very excited not only to facilitate this competition, but to literally enjoy the result in a way that will hopefully be talked about all NAB long.
So please pull out all the creative stops and let's work together to take 4K creation and exhibition to a new level. We will be launching the official Reduser NAB 2012 Party website next week, but with NAB quickly approaching, I wanted to share this information now so you have an opportunity to start the brainstorming now.
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4K Portrait Competition
PURPOSE:

Demonstrate viability of global 4K acquisition & distribution
Showcase quality content from the Reduser Community
Create a “living art gallery” atmosphere at the Reduser party

PARTICIPANT RULES:

Content captured on a RED One, EPIC, or Scarlet cameras
Edited on Adobe Premiere Pro (submission must include your Premiere Pro project file)
Maximum length of 4 minutes including credits (submissions over 4 minutes will not be considered)
No dialogue or sync sound
Submissions should exemplify the impact of 4K imagery and support Reduser Party event theme “THE WORLD [IN 4K]”
Cleared music track can be included as sound source
Content should be for suitable for all-ages viewing

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

All participants are required to submit the below components on an unencrypted hard drive with an eSata connection in order to be considered for the competition:

1. Portraits must be finished in the Rec709 standard and submitted in 4K resolution (4096x2160 or 4096x2304 are acceptable)
2. Portrait files must be provided in 3 ways:
- delivered as 4K DPX, 4K Uncompressed Quicktime or 4K ProRes
- audio must be delivered as separate stems either in WAV or AIFF format in stereo channels 1 & 2
- proxy version delivered in H.264 format (1280x720) with data rates between 3 megabits per second and 8 megabits per second
3. Portraits must submit their Adobe Premiere Pro offline project file
4. Entrants must also submit an executed submission form (available on official Reduser NAB 2012 Party website)

VOTING PROCESS:
RED Founder Jim Jannard will determine the top 10 submissions based on judging criteria and will choose the ultimate winner.

COMPETITION WINNERS:
Top 10 finalists will be on display all evening at the Reduser Party, similar to an art gallery layout. Each finalist's work will be part of a “4K kiosk,” consisting of a 4K playback device (e.g., cinema server, PCIe card or player) and a 4K viewing device (e.g., 4K projector, 4K monitor or 4K television). The kiosk will list the finalist's information and credits and will be playing all evening long for attendees to experience as they wander the gallery. Event attendees will be able to explore this moving 4K gallery and witness new technology specially designed for the most advanced 4K viewing experience.

During the evening’s formal presentation, the top 3 winners will be announced, and all 3 will receive prize baskets worth thousands of dollars. The grand-prize winner will have his/her 4K Portrait projected in front of a captive audience on the main-stage 4K projection screen with the music sound track.

DEADLINE
All hard drive submissions need to be received by Light Iron's vault before Friday, March 23rd at 8PM PST. Any submissions received after 8PM on March 23rd will be disqualified.
Entry Submissions to:
Attn: 4K Portrait Competition
c/o Light Iron
6381 De Longpre Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90028

Any questions should be sent to: nabsubmission [at] lightiron [dot] com

The Reduser 2012 Party Las Vegas is live. This site will enable you to view information about the party, sponsors, the 4K Portrait Competition and connect before and during NAB week for a great community experience.
Please check back to the site often to see updates and check the FAQs page for additional answers to questions.
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The 4K Portrait Competition deadline is coming up THIS FRIDAY, March 23rd.

Thanks to all who have entered and submitted their works and the rest who are doing so this final week.

I wanted to make one last comment of encouragement to people looking to enter in this unique competition.

With 1 week left, it's not too late to come up with an idea and shoot and post it for the competition. For example, can do something just called "WATER" and shoot all sorts of content that revolves around water: the beauty of a still lake, high framerate water drops, a fish tank, close-ups of sparking water fizzing in a glass...
Or a piece called "MOTION and shoot the interior of a fancy car, the wheels, the road passing by, airplanes landing, a bicycle chain or woman running...
There are so many ways to take it and so many ways in which to show off 4K and the camera in a creative, engaging way.
No idea is too simple, no idea too removed. Just imaging how people will react when seeing 4K images on 4K displays and how the RED tools make it easy. If you can do that, you can make something different.

Some people mentioned concerns about "not being good enough to compete." But the truth is those who take advantage of what they have and make it compelling in 4K are the ones who will succeed. When the competition is over, thousands of people will get to see what was created in a myriad of different ways and I'm willing to bet that the best portraits will come from Redusers all over the world. In this contest, a "less is more" approach might just be perfect.

Remember: part of this exercise is to creatively come up with ways to not only shoot things, but to take advantage of available R3D support tools like Adobe Creative Suite, Da Vinci Resolve and REDCine-X Pro. Getting familiar with 4K mastering is a key component to helping push the 4K agenda forward which we all benefit from, and that's a message we desperately need to get out together.

While this event is labeled as a "competition," it really represents a movement to which a collective of like-minded individuals are willing to step-up and prove that HD is not good enough. Most filmmakers have never seen 4K, let alone mastered and exhibited their own 4K project. This event is a public display of our beliefs that the world we live in deserves to be lived in 4K and beyond.